Posts: 1 to 25 of 44

Topic: Doing well after 2 years!

It's been quite a while since I've posted...I almost feel guilty doing so because I'm doing so well while others are not. But I decided to post a comment to show that there is hope! I had surgery at Mayo in Rochester, MN on 1/5/10 to resect my tumor, which by the way had clean margins. I did not have chemo or radiation because my surgeon felt it would not benefit me and could cause harm. I've gone back to Mayo every 3 to 6 months, and have had a few bumps along the way, but am now mostly feeling like my "old self." I had not seen an oncologist at Mayo, but I requested a referral to Dr. Alberts and saw him 12/11. He assured me that my treatment would not have been different if I'd seen him earlier. I still worry a bit about recurrence, especially before returning to Mayo for my scans and blood work, but I do not let it get in the way of living life. My very best wishes to all of you fighting this horrible illness for yourselves or for loved ones.

Re: Doing well after 2 years!

Dianne, it is so very good to hear from you and to read such a wonderful positive post. Good for you. Neverfeel guilty that you are doing well as that is what gives others the hope they need to fight this dreadful CC. I hope for you to continue on your path of Cancer free! Please drop by now and then, we love to hear the good news.

Teddy ~In our hearts forever~ATTITUDE is EVERYTHINGAny suggestion I offer is intended as friendly advice based solely on my own experience. Please consult your doctor for professional guidance.

Re: Doing well after 2 years!

Re: Doing well after 2 years!

So Dianne,

I took a tour down memory lane and looked at some of your posts from the past because your course sounds so much like mine. Well of course we've traded comments before! So glad to hear from you again. Again we are on the same course...I have a scan on Feb 7th. We are 2-year survivors you and me! Yippee.

Re: Doing well after 2 years!

Both Dianne and Randi:It's so good to hear numbers before the words cancer free. It really does give us hope. It's such a terrible disease that I for one really appreciate hearing that people have been able to beat it for over a year. I'm hoping that after my surgery in the next month or two (this is my 2nd surgery, where they are going to do the resection) I will hear the words clean margins and that 2 years from now I can post the same thing as you!Actually, I hope in 5 years I can put a 5 in front of the words cancer free!!Keep it up and post again, especially next year!!Kris

KrisJ"Don't just have minutes in the day; have moments in time."Any opinions I give are based on personal experiences, and are not based on medical knowledge. I strongly suggest receiving medical care and opinions.

Re: Doing well after 2 years!

Dianne....thanks so much for checking in with us, sharing your wonderful story and thereby giving hope to us all. Congratulations, Dianne, and please, keep the good news coming our way.All my best wishes,Marion

THIS INFORMATION IS NOT INTENDED NOR IMPLIED TO BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF YOUR PHYSICIAN OR OTHER QUALIFIED HEALTH CARE PROVIDER

Re: Doing well after 2 years!

Hi Dianne,

Thanks for dropping by and sharing your good news with us all, and it is great news indeed that you have for us all!! Hopefully the good news will continue for you and I look forward to hearing more from you.

Best wishes,

Gavin

Any advice or comments I give are based on personal experiences and knowledge and are my opinions only, they are not to be substituted for professional medical advice. Please seek professional advice from a qualified doctor or medical professional.

Re: Doing well after 2 years!

Dear Dianne,

It is so wonderful to hear a success story! That gives us so much hope. That is the one thing that can never be taken away from us- HOPE. Thanks for sharing and hope to hear more from you in the future. Take care and I wish you continued good health.

Love, -Pam

My beautiful daughter, Lauren Patrice, will live on in my heart forever.

My comments, suggestions, and opinions are based on my experience as a caretaker for my daughter, Lauren and from reading anything I can get my hands on about Cholangiocarcinoma. Please consult a physician for professional guidance.

Re: Doing well after 2 years!

Dianne-Glad to hear positive outcome stories. I am 2 years cancer free and also feel some what bad when posting my story, but until there is more than just one handful of success stories on this site we need to keep telling our CC family there is HOPE!Dianne-I see either my transplant/liver doctors and oncologist every 3 months, they like that I see a doctor every 3 months. I aslo do blood draws every month and scans every 6 months. I have my next scans Feb 2 2012.I am curious how many cancer free CC members there are. I know of Jim Wilde, and Randi. ??Keep posting and giving HOPE!!Lots of prayers-Cathy

Re: Doing well after 2 years!

Hi Cathy,Have you read any posts from 32coupe who was diagnosed in 1996 I think.... an amazing story. (Hi bob if you read this.) Otherwise I'm not sure about CC free members. It would be nice if there was a site to write those success stories.I will be thinking of you next week and will be hoping for good scan results for you. It's always scary getting those results!Best Wishes!

Re: Doing well after 2 years!

Cathy- Don't ever feel bad about posting your story. Please, all of you out there that are lucky enough to be CC free, DO NOT feel bad about it. Be happy and proud that you beat the evil monster. I, for one can say I am so happy for you. You give me hope that someday my daughter and everyone else suffering with CC might end up like you!! Don't ever feel guilty or bad about being one of the lucky ones. Spread the word and help us beat CC. Love you all.

-Pam

My beautiful daughter, Lauren Patrice, will live on in my heart forever.

My comments, suggestions, and opinions are based on my experience as a caretaker for my daughter, Lauren and from reading anything I can get my hands on about Cholangiocarcinoma. Please consult a physician for professional guidance.

Re: Doing well after 2 years!

Survivor stories: we had started to collect survivor stories some time back and then (for numerous reasons) we shelved the idea. What do you think? Should we start compiling again and where would you like to see the stories displayed?Thanks a bunch,Marion

THIS INFORMATION IS NOT INTENDED NOR IMPLIED TO BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF YOUR PHYSICIAN OR OTHER QUALIFIED HEALTH CARE PROVIDER

Re: Doing well after 2 years!

Re: Doing well after 2 years!

Hi Marion, I would be very interested in a section on survivor stories....it could give us all hope, eventhough I suppose it might also be a little discouraging? I think it could help people when they are trying to decide treatment options given them by their doctors. I may have decided to have chemo after my resection if I'd gone to such a site... I am now kind of regretting not having done so. Could it be a new heading under General Forums?

Re: Doing well after 2 years!

I would love to have an entire section for "survivor stories". I for one can't wait for 6 months so I can post on it. I think the stories that say how long you are a survivor and basic information are great to read. They give me hope. But they are hard to find sometimes, so I vote YES for a new section for these stories.

KrisJ"Don't just have minutes in the day; have moments in time."Any opinions I give are based on personal experiences, and are not based on medical knowledge. I strongly suggest receiving medical care and opinions.

Re: Doing well after 2 years!

Yes, Randi, all of us are survivors. Then we should think of a concept as to how we like to proceed with the survivor stories. Some of the best ideas have come from the members of this site. We can make this happen. Any thoughts?

THIS INFORMATION IS NOT INTENDED NOR IMPLIED TO BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF YOUR PHYSICIAN OR OTHER QUALIFIED HEALTH CARE PROVIDER

Re: Doing well after 2 years!

While I agree that all of us living with this diagnosis can consider ourselves survivors, I think we should maybe start at the point where chemo, radiation, surgery or some other treatment has "eliminated" the cancer for at least a given amount of time. Maybe 6 months? Or a year? That, to me, would be a "REAL" survivor story. I don't consider myself a survivor yet: I am a cancer patient who hopes to be a survivor soon.

KrisJ"Don't just have minutes in the day; have moments in time."Any opinions I give are based on personal experiences, and are not based on medical knowledge. I strongly suggest receiving medical care and opinions.

The information expressed is not medical advice. The discussion boards are not intended to replace the services of a trained health professional or to be a substitute for the medical advice of physicians or other healthcare providers. Read the full disclaimer.